Understanding the Vancouver Hockey Riots

As a native Vancouverite and a Canucks fan, I was heartbroken by the riots that followed Game 7 of the Stanley Cup final.

Dave Zirin of The Nation has a great analysis of the Vancouver hockey riot. Don’t blame phantom anarchists, blame drunk gay-bashing thugs, exurban troublemakers, and the irresponsible vendors plying them with liquor in the Entertainment Zone.

I appreciate Zirin’s shout out to the people who stepped up to contain and clean up the chaos, at some risk to themselves. The rioters don’t represent Canucks fans or Vancouverites.

[Photo credit: Tristen.Pelton, Creative Commons. See the original photo here.]